Friday, December 15, 2017 • Vol. 36, No. 49
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December 15, 2017
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Friday, December 15, 2017 | Vol. 36, No. 49
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Heart Health Symposium
Altaf Hussain Malik
Body found of a Richmond father who went missing trying to sell his car Altaf Hussain Malik, a loving husband and father of four children is no more. Altaf was just 42 years old, a resident of Fort Bend County, Texas. Altaf left his home on Tuesday, December 5, shortly after dinner to show his car to an interested person who had contacted him that night via craigslist.
P5 Panelists with Organizers. Seated, from left: Dr. Sheila Heinle, Dr. Virendra Mathur, Dr. Atasu Nayak, Dr. Prasun Jalal. Standing, from left: Col. Vipin Kumar, Swapan Dhairyawan, Jagdip Ahluwalia at the Heart Health Symposium event at India House on Sunday, December 3.
The Blessings of a Ganesh P9 Leela
A couple hours passed and no word from Altaf got his family worried. The search teams along with law enforcement actively searched for Altaf or his car, until unfortunately on December 8, 2017 they found the body of Altaf, near a dumpster in the 3rd ward area of Houston. His body was found covered in trash bags with multiple stab wounds on it.
The Divine family at the marriage of Ganesh to Riddhi (prosperity) and Siddhi (spiritual power) during the play, Ganesh Leela at the Old Stafford Civic Center, on Friday, December 8.
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December 15, 2017
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COMMUNITY
December 15, 2017
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Fight Back Against Sexual Assault
SUGAR
LAND: On Saturday December 9, Daya held its next installment of Start the Conversation, a lecture and event series where the community considers, analyzes and confronts the issues, challenges and complexities that affect all. As reports of powerful individuals abusing others flood our newsfeeds, Daya provided the opportunity for the community to channel outrage into action. In light of the recent news of sexual assault both nationally and here in Houston, Daya created a forum for the community to speak out against the pervasiveness and silence around sexual violence. Founding Board Member, Lakshmy Parameswaran, LPC welcomed the audience and discussed the definition of sexual assault and the role that silence plays in perpetuating the cycle of violence. Sexual assault is any type of sexual behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Societal stigma and victim blaming drive victims to keep their experience a secret. Parameswaran stressed that abusers must be held accountable, regardless of their position in the community, their fame, or their wealth. The blame for sexual assault should solely lie on the perpetrator. Executive Director, Rachna Khare then led attendees in an interactive discussion on how to recognize some signs of sexual abuse, respond in ways that empower survivors, and refer survivors to a vast array of supportive services throughout the Greater Houston Area. Houston Police Department officers, Vaibhavi Patel and Monique Francis explained how the criminal justice system approaches adult sex crimes and provides comprehensive services throughout the process. Officers Kollean Himes and Ernest Slaughter explained the process for child
sex crimes, emphasizing the Department’s commitment to keeping children safe. Child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Sindhu Idicula Giri spoke openly about the long-term mental health impact of sexual assault including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Armed with new knowledge, attendees worked in small groups to critically discuss scenarios they may encounter in the community and practice ways to effectively re-
spond and take action against sexual assault. The expert speakers then convened on a multidisciplinary panel to take questions from the audience and speak candidly about the challenges that still remain. The seminar closed with a call to action from Khare, who reminded attendees that together law enforcement, mental health professionals, and community members have the power to fight back against sexual assault through a coordinated and system-wide approach.
About Daya Now in its twenty-first year, Daya empowers south Asian survivors who are trying to break the cycle of domestic and sexual violence and reclaim their lives. Daya empowers survivors and the community by offering counseling and advocacy, promoting community awareness and by advocating at the policy level. Daya’s approach fosters individual freedom and respect leading to healthy families.
For further details visit www. dayahouston.org
For advertising contact: Vanshika Vipin at 713.789.6397
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December 15, 2017
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COMMUNITY
December 15, 2017
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Asians Are More Susceptible to Heart Attacks
Dr. Sheila Heinle
Dr. Virendra Mathur
On Sunday, December 3, the parking lot of India House was full and some of the usual visitors were wondering; once they came in, they found out that besides many usual Sunday activities, a Heart Health Symposium was going on. Many inquisitive people who had not pre-registered decided to come in if they were allowed and of course the registration was free and they joined the group. This was the first of a quarterly symposium that has been planned jointly for the coming months by Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Indian Doctor’s Association (IDA) and India House. The subject was quite interesting “Are Asian Indians, men and women, at a higher risk of Heart Attacks and if so how to reduce it”. Chair person was Dr. Prasun Jalal, a G.I., particularly Liver specialist and current President of IDA and speakers were Dr. Virendra Mathur and Dr. Sheila Heinle, both of Texas Heart Institute and Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Atasu Nayak, Cardiologist of Kelsey Seybold Clinic joined the panelists for Q & A. Col. Vipin Kumar, Executive Director of India House opened the symposium welcoming the full house of attendees, male and female about 50-50 % and presented a brief introduction of India House mission and regular activities through a brief Video. First speaker, the senior cardiolo-
gist of Baylor, Dr. Virendra Mathur presented data indicating how serious are Cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in both men and women, and 92 million Americans are currently victims of these and over 800,000 die each year. Heart attack itself hits about 800,000 Americans annually and 114,000 lose their life. If a person has the misfortune of getting a Cardiac arrest outside hospital, 90% don’t make it. Heart attack occurs every 40 seconds and a heart related death every minute in USA. The most frightening message was the fact that heart disease as well as most of the other deadly diseases are silent killers that do not announce themselves by pain or other prominent symptom and by the time symptoms appear, disease will be very advanced and hard to manage. The common mistake that >90% people make is to assume that pain/symptom is indicator of disease and absence of pain/symptom equals absence of serious disease. Unfortunately, by the time pain or other symptoms appear, all the serious killers of mankind have already spread and are at a very serious stage. Many of these “silent” killers are detectable if people pay attention to their health and see an attentive physician regularly. The main theme of the symposium was about the differences in South Asians and the audience was shocked to hear that heart disease is 4 times as common and
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Diabetes is 6 times more common in Asian Indians than most other ethnic groups. In addition, the disease in South Asians is even more serious, it hits persons at a younger age, it is more serious and more fatal, mortality in women is even higher. Data was presented from several countries confirming the higher prevalence and severity of heart disease. Another point that Dr. Mathur emphasized was that the most obvious reason identified was higher incidence of Diabetes and he wanted everybody to know that so called ‘Diabetes’ is really indicator of the real problem which is not ‘sugar’ but several abnormalities together, known as “Metabolic Syndrome” or the Insulin resistance syndrome. This includes high Blood pressure, higher levels of Sugar, Triglycerides, lower HDL level, obesity especially abdominal with a bigger girth. Elevated sugar level is just an indicator of this disease or a messenger while simultaneously disease is damaging all the arteries of the body and other organs like Liver, Kidney, Eyes etc. Just lowering sugar level does not kill the ‘enemy’ or protect the damage to the arteries; only very strict life style correction is the proven benefit to reduce mortality risk. Metabolic syndrome prevalence is increasing like an epidemic and is being diagnosed in children and young teenagers. In Indian male
adults above 40, it is prevalent in 50%. There are indicators that South Asians have proportionately less lean muscle mass, more fat and more intra-muscular and visceral fat and hormones of visceral fat are much more dangerous for the arteries. He concluded with a ray of hope, an encouraging fact that death rate from Cardiovascular diseases has dropped 70% since 1968 and 25% from 2004 to 2014 with the advances in medicines, techniques, devices, procedures and surgery and it is ongoing at an accelerating pace Dr. Heinle then took the difficult task of discussing the prevention and management to reduce the damage and mortality risk. Most people are aware that Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) include Coronary Artery disease (CAD) responsible for heart attacks and angina pain, Stroke, High Blood Pressure (BP) Limb or Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), Heart failure, Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and Valve diseases and some others. CAD is not only the commonest but also the deadliest. It is caused by buildup of Cholesterol laden material in the wall of the coronary arteries, blocking the passage inside. She encouraged the audience to remember all the “risk factors” which increase the frequency as well as the severity of CAD. These
include Family history, age, smoking, high BP, high Cholesterol, specially LDL, Diabetes, Obesity and very important Physical Inactivity. Dr. Heinle reminded that 1 in 3 deaths are related to C.V. D. More important 90% of CVD events/deaths are due to “preventable” risk factors. The cost burden of USA is $ 200 billion per year. By focusing on health and risk factors it is possible to delay or avoid the deadly complications and reduce mortality. She defined “Ideal CV Health” as a person who a) never smoked, b) had light physical activity of 150 minutes /week or 75 minutes/week of more vigorous activity, c) satisfied 4-5 points of healthy diet, d) had Cholesterol of <200 mg/dl, e) fasting glucose of <100 mg/dl and BP < 120/80 Dr. Heinle presented data that smoking alone can increase the risk >5 times by smoking 15 Cigs/ day. Importance of physical activity also can be seen by the data of age adjusted death rate which can be reduced from 60/10,000 to 20/10,000 in males if low fitness level is changed to high fitness level; for females, rate drops from 40 to 8/10,000. There is data to show that regular exercise not only reduces CV mortality, including heart attacks, strokes, PAD and BP but it also has beneficial effect on Diabetes, Obesity, Osteopo-
Photos: Bijay Dixit
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COMMUNITY
December 15, 2017
Asia Society Texas Kicks Off 2018 Tiger Ball Honoring Gordon and Sylvia Quan HOUSTON: The Who’s Who of Hous-
ton’s international scene gathered at Yauatcha Restaurant in The Galleria last night for Asia Society Texas Center’s annual Tiger Ball kickoff party hosted by Gigi Huang, introducing Gordon and Sylvia Quan as the gala’s honorees for 2018. The evening included Asian-inspired lychee martinis, dim sum, and a surprise visit by playful and mischievous lion dancers who delighted the crowd of about 160. Tiger Ball is Asia Society Texas Center’s annual signature event and one of Houston’s best loved annual society affairs, raising in excess of $1 million to support the organization’s ongoing educational and cultural programming. The tradition began in the 1990s and has grown over the years in both size and scope. This year’s gala, with Chevron as Presenting Sponsor, is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the Center’s iconic home at 1370 Southmore at Caroline in the heart of the beautiful Houston Museum District. About Asia Society Texas Center With 12 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the west. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach.
Zeenat Mitha and Leela Krishnamurthy (right) Honorees Gordon and Sylvia Quan
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Asians Are More Susceptible to Heart Attacks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
rosis, Muscle loss, depression, Dementia, Breast and Colon Cancers and E.D. In a large study, difference of mortality was 6 fold higher in obese women (BMI >32) versus thin (BMI <19). Besides overall obesity the difference of fat distribution makes a difference, apple shape with most of weight above waist, compared to “pear” shape with most below waist. She presented data showing significant improvement in Metabolic Syndrome (and Diabetes) with life style modification. Dr. Heinle also defined good diets having more fruits, nuts, fish, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, Yogurt, moderate use of Cheese, eggs, poultry, low fat milk and harmful foods included Butter, Red meat, refined grains, starches, sugars, processed meats, high sodium foods and trans-fats Dr. Heinle also pointed out that South Asian persons do less exercise, even vegetarian diet has high proportion of Carbohydrates and saturated fats and have much higher prevalence of Insulin resistance or Metabolic syndrome and body composition and central distribution of more dangerous fat; all of these factors lead to higher risk of CAD. Jokingly, she recommended Indians to eat less Samosas, Korma, Pakora, Bhajia, Saag Paneer, Sauced white rice and fried stuffed Naans & more of Papadum, Chicken Tikki or Tandoori, Tandoori Kabob, curry from vegetable oil base, daal, Gobhi-matar-tomato, matar pulao, steamed boiled rice, chapati. She pointed out that convincing evidence of health benefit exists for high BP, CAD and Stroke and probable
for Breast and Colon cancers. Possible benefit may also be in Rheumatoid Arthritis, COPD, Osteoporosis, Cataract and Macular degeneration. She also pointed out that guidelines for defining high BP have been modified and currently ideal BP should not exceed 130/80 mm Hg. 100 million or 46% of US population has high BP and it increases risk 3 fold in men and 2 fold in women less than 45 years of age. Only 52% young adults (2039yrs) are aware of high BP, <36% are being treated and < 25% are controlled. In age groups of > 40 years the figures are 75% aware, 65% on treatment and only 37% controlled. Dr. Heinle also touched about the importance in women, pointing out that more women compared to men die of heart attacks. CVD appear at a later age in women but are more serious and mortality rate is higher. The common risk factors are more prevalent in women with CVD compared to men. Prevention as earlier mentioned is possible in 90% of all persons with CVD and by correcting all the risk factors, severe disease can be delayed or “prevented” until old age. Modern medicines and procedures and technical advances have made it possible to reduce the impact of all the factors and prolong life and “healthier life” After Q & A session, Jagdip Ahluwalia, Executive Director, IACCGH extended vote of thanks to all who had contributed in one way or the other. The audiences were then treated with delicious refreshment from Nirmanz Food Boutique.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
December 15, 2017 7 COMMUNITY Rebuild, Relive and Recovery Event by BAPS Charities
HOUSTON:
Houston Strong! The motto that has been ringing in everyone’s ears since Harvey. Many individuals have volunteered their time and effort to help our community. Three months since the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, many residents still are out of their homes. As you walk into their homes the walls are still stripped out of drywall and one can look straight to the back of the house from the front door. Volunteers of BAPS Charities have been active from relief efforts to recovery efforts. This past weekend on December 9, 2017 a Hurricane Harvey Recovery Event was held at the Canyon Gate Cinco Ranch neighborhood. This event was to let neighbors know that BAPS Charities is there to lend a helping hand. BAPS Charities has already provided over 50 homes in the Houston area with 3000 drywall sheets and material. Drywall has been the most needed material for most of the home owners to begin the rebuilding phase of their homes. Sanjay M. in the Katy area has been trying to rebuild his home since he had over 30 inches of water in his home and finally with the house being dried out and mold free he was able to start the work. He was very appreciative of
the 95 sheets of drywall and floating material that he had received, “Thanks to BAPS Charities in making this happen.” During the Hurricane Harvey recovery event, BAPS Charities volunteers spent time talking to every individual one-on-one to find out how the recovery was going and if additional support was needed. This event drew in over 100 individuals in need of material to rebuild their homes. As many of these homeowners were still living away at friends, families or at motels, they were thankful that
BAPS Charities was there to listen and offer any assistance that may be needed. Eli M. From the Canyon Gate neighborhood said, “we have had many organizations offer material but BAPS was the only one that actually has delivered what we had requested. And this means a lot to us.” BAPS Charities has put in over 8000 volunteer hours, served 4500 hot meals, sheltered families and removed water damaged debris from homes since the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
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COMMUNITY BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
STAFFORD: During one of the
scenes when young dancers are performing for the Divine Family of Shiva, Parvati and the resurrected Ganesh, Masterji Indravadan Trivedi looks on from the podium just offstage, his turbaned head nodding slightly in rhythm to the music, eyes twinkling and his smiling face thrilled at the dancers’ steps. He had been transported back to the time when he was a quick and supple dancer who had performed many times on many Houston stages. Even though his now aged body can no longer keep pace, his heart beats like that young man who once enthralled audiences with his own mastery of dance. Hence the name! The play “Ganesh Leela” hoped to take the audience back to a time when Hindu deities roamed the Vedic plains and performed deeds to show the value of righteousness and duty. Masterji took to the podium to start the narrative for the first scene which opened with Shiva (Hetal Patel) standing on one leg and his consort Parvati (Yogina Patel) dancing around him to the beat of a small drum. As he goes to the next scene, Masterji intones, “There are two places you can live forever – in someone’s heart, and,” he looked upward and pointed, “in the blessings of God,” and opened into the scene where Parvati meets her
December 15, 2017
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The Story of Ganesh, Played on Stage, as an Inspiration
Young dancers performed after Ganesh is presented on stage
Shiva (Hetal Patel), Parvati (Yogina Patel) and Ganesh (Girish Naik) in a family portrait
Ganesh tries to fight of the advances of Tulsi and is cursed by him Photos: Nik Nikam
young son Ganesh, played with confidence and energy by the 12 year-old Ishaan Vijayvergiya who delivered all his lines flawlessly in Hindi. As the story continues and an enraged Shiva kills Ganesh
(who is protecting his mother) not knowing he is his son, an infuriated Parvati, incarnated as Durga, CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Masterji Indravadan Trivedi with Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, the chief guest of the evening
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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COMMUNITY
How to Pitch to Investors, Workshops by TiE Houston and Houston Exponential
HOUSTON: On November 29,
2017 entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors gathered at Houston Exponential (previously known as Houston Technology Center) for a workshop on how to pitch to investors put together by TiE Houston and Houston Exponential. The focus of the event was to help entrepreneurs learn from about what investors are looking for in presentations from investors themselves. The whole event culminated with the participants practicing their pitches and getting immediate feedback from the same investors. Kicking off the event was a welcome from Houston Exponential’s Executive Vice Chairman, Paul Frison followed by Dr. Arun Pasrija, President of TiE Houston and CEO of CHR Solutions. First to present was Bob Prochnow, Executive Director of the Technology Collaboration Center. He navigated the participants on how to build and communicate
their value proposition. This begins by understanding that a company’s success depends on providing value to all key stakeholders. Identifying who those stakeholders are isn’t always clear but a valuable exercise. Therefore, after the presentation the participants were encouraged to share their value proposition with the group who provided valuable feedback to consider. A new topic to the workshop this year, Negotiating Term Sheets, was presented by Gregory Phillips of Phillips Kaiser PLLC. He shared the most common founder negotiating mistakes and how to avoid them, key term sheet provisions, pre-money valuation, and many many more topics. With no topic being off the table, the participants took full advantage to ask questions they had about navigating terms with potential investors. His biggest emphasis to the entrepreneurs was for them keep a focus on whether an investor creating too many obstacle is one they want to have a long term relation-
ship with. No deal is so good that you can’t walk away. After a break for networking, the only panel of the day was started by a short presentation by serial entrepreneur, Ashok Rao. The environment for investing in start-ups seems bleak based on the statistics but the silver lining is the various Angel Investors that are beginning to make a big impact on the Houston eco-system. He then joined fellow panelists and angel investors Keith Kreuer (Red House Associates), Courtney Siegfried (Alice), and Michael Raspino ( May River Venture/TiE Angels) for a moderated discussion by TMCx Director, Erik Halvorsen. Each panelist shared their unique perspectives on the process for getting angel investing. After an advantageous networking break, participants dove right into the Elevator Pitch presentation by Mike Evans of Technology Startup Consulting followed by Station Houston CEO, John Reale’s presentation on Building a Winning Investor Pitch Deck. Participants learned how to take ninety seconds and one hundred and ninety words to light investors up. The evening concluded with the participants practicing the pitches they had been learning to curate all
afternoon. TiE Houston is one of 61 chapters of TiE Global which is an organization solely dedicated to the fostering of entrepreneurship. This year TiE is celebrating their 25th anniversary with its
11,000 members and 2800 charter members making it the largest network of entrepreneurs in the world. More information available on www.houston.tie.org.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY Pondi Café Now Open at Asia Society Texas Center
HOUSTON:
Visitors to Asia Society Texas in the heart of the Houston Museum District are now greeted by the enticing aromas of India-inspired cuisine from Pondi, Pondicheri’s little sister. Pondi is open for extended lunch hours Tuesday-Sunday with a vibrant and innovative menu featuring everything from Butter Chicken to Saffron Shrimp Salad and Bombay Benedict. “Asia Society Texas is known for providing Houstonians access to beautiful art exhibits and scin-
tillating programs and policy discussions,” said Asia Society Texas President Bonna Kol. “Now, we will also be known as a destination for cultural cuisine. This aligns perfectly with what we do and we couldn’t be more excited about the new partnership.” “I believe you should eat well and live spicy,” said Pondicheri Chef Anita Jaisinghani. “Pondi and Asia Society are providing the opportunity to achieve both. I am thrilled to be serving lunch around some of the best cultural programming in Houston.”
Pondicheri, Pondi for short, is the old French name of a city in Southern India now called Puducherry. Jaisinghani chose it as the name for her restaurant not because she or her food are from there, but just because the city had a special meaning in her childhood and she loves the sound of the word. Pondi’s menu represents carefully curated and authentic, yet reinvented preparations, from all over the Indian subcontinent. Pondi is open Tuesday-Friday, 11 am-5 pm and Saturday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm. The menu is available at www.pondicheri.com. Before or after lunch, make plans to visit Asia Society’s current exhibit Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place, a showcase of the global history and breadth of Islamic art. In recognition of the city’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey, general admission to the exhibition is FREE through December. Two factors distinguish this exhibition: first, the inclusion of works from areas largely overlooked in most exhibitions of Islamic art; and second, modern and contemporary works are featured side-by-side with historic objects. “There are works spanning more than 1,400 years of faith, culture and everyday life of Muslims across the world,” said Bridget Bray, Asia Society Texas Center’s Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions. “Nearly all media, ranging from carpets to dress to jewelry, ceramics, glass, metal, paintings, prints, calligraphy and photographs are on display.” The exhibition is organized by the Newark Museum. It runs through February 25, 2018, but you can only get in for free until December 31. Information about future programs and exhibitions is available at AsiaSociety. org/Texas
December 15, 2017
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COMMUNITY
Marathi Film Kshitij- A Horizon Wins ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at IFFI
HOUSTON:
Marathi movie Kshitij- A Horizon produced by Navroz Prasla-Media FilmsCraft, USA based company and Navroz Prasla Productions directed by Manouj Kadamh and the story written by Rayban Davage recently won “ The prestigious ICFTUNESCO Gandhi Medal ” at 48th International Film Festival Of India ( IFFI ) Goa. It’s a story of small girl- Vacchi trying to overcome the adverse situation. Despite of good eagerness about education in world,
many children are deprived from education because of adverse family background. So it’s a try from Kshitij director to express the psychological changes of children due to this situation. While featuring Indian National film award winning actor Upendra Limaye and Kanchan Jadhav as lead, movie also shows that the farmer suicide is growing at an alarming rate in India. Especially in the state of Maharashtra where on one hand we have made many scientific & technological ad-
vancements but on the other hand our food providers- farmers have always struggled to live a satisfying life & to fulfill their basic needs. From the story to screenplay and dialogues, sensible filmmaker Kadaamh has filled his film with many such gripping, engaging sequences inviting the attention of audience towards many such social problems. Kshitji has been selected at the following International Film Festivals: 1. Official Selection Indian Film Festival Houston, USA (Won the Best Film Award) 2. Official Selection Cape Town International Film Market & Festival 2017 South Africa. (Won Best New Film Director Award) 3. Official Selection 20th International Children’s Film Festival Hyderabad, India. 4. Official Selection Global Migration International Film Festival 2017. U.N Geneva, Switzerland.
5. Official Selection 48th International Film Festival Of India ( IFFI ) Goa. 6. Nomination for UNESCO Gandhi Award, IFFI GOA. (Won the trophy for best film) 7. Official Selection Third Eye Asian Film Festival, Mumbai. 8. Official selection for Kolkata International Wildlife & Environment Film Festival 9.Official selection for Echo Film Festivals BRICS (EFF BRICS). According to the makers, Media FilmCraft and Navroz Prasla Productions along with Co-Producer Karishma Sagar Mhadolkar, the film will offer entertainment besides making the audience aware of the importance of education social values. Media FilmsCraft is headed by Navroz Prasla, a visionary businessman and creative filmmaker, hailing from Metropolis Mumbai in India, where Bollywood, the heart of movie-making beats energetically; it was a foregone conclusion that Prasla would be infused with a passion for sculpting celluloid dreams. Intuitively, he saw a niche market in devising those films, of telling those stories, of finding different perspectives to the Indian ethos here in the USA. Young, and replete with ideas that permeated his every conscious thought,
he moved to Houston, Texas, and sought to follow his dreams in the land of promised opportunities. Where he founded Media FilmCraft, a company driven to craft films that represents a unique fusion of American and Indian film cultures. Noteworthy is it that Prasla is also the Founder/CEO of Mottus, a Houston-based video equipment manufacturer that puts forth high quality, affordable, durable, studio and location-ready gear and accessories. Prasla selected the Kshitij story because he was convinced by Kadaamh’s study and understanding of the concept. A “Kshitij” for him is one of those rare variety films about which one can’t discuss much despite a strong desire for it could hamper your viewing experience as an audience. Film hints us that education could eventually turn out to be a boon to help the farmers. Prasla already has another film taking shape. He has his ambitious sights set on collaborative ventures with Hollywood, for him the holy grail of movie making. Regardless of the keen intellect that has brought him untold success, it is undoubtedly moviemaking that has him captivated. The promotional song of this film has been penned by Guru Thakur with the music provided by Shailendra Barve. The song has been choreographed by Sagar Mhadolkar. The song has been filmed on Vaishnave Tangde with Akshat Singh and other child artistes. Yogesh Rajguru is the cinematographer of this film, while Resul Pookutty the Oscar winner is the sound designer. Beside actor Upendra Limaye “Kshitij” also stars greats like Sanjay Mone, Manoj Joshi & Vidyadhar Joshi. Kshitij is an inspirational film that enriches you as a person. Let’s hope Kshitij to be a welcome exception by influencing our farmers and others in a positive way.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
December 15, 2017
The American Leadership Forum Celebrates 35 Years of Collaborative Leadership in Houston
HOUSTON:
“For 35 years, the American Leadership Forum (ALF) has been a significant driving force in creating the vibrant Houston region we embrace today”, said Randy Sim, the newly elected Chair of the ALF Board of Trustees. “We salute those before us and look confidently into the future knowing that ALF supports leaders in our community to tackle the tough issues we face, together,” he continued. ALF offered its first class in 1982 to create a regional network of diverse senior-level leaders across private, public and nonprofit sectors. The nonprofit organization, whose mission is to join and strengthen diverse leaders to serve the common good, has served more than 3,500 nationwide and 1,300 in Houston. Senior Fellows use collaborative leadership skills to identify and deal with complex regional issues, model servant leadership, and create opportunities to work together in ways that make a significant difference to Houston and its surrounding communities. ALF has worked very intentionally to bring together a mix of diverse leaders from virtually every sector of the Houston community — not to debate, but to co-create new possibilities. Characterized by a strong belief in the human capacity for collective intelligence, the ALF program focuses on the principles of a different kind of leadership to... empower Fellows to envision effective solutions and take coordinated action to address the community’s pressing issues. At their recent annual meeting, eight new members were elected to the Board of Trustees of the Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter. The newly elected members of the Board of Trustees are Cathy Brock, Partner, Allen Austin, Art Chavez, Senior Principal, Page, Sara Cronin, Director, Corporate Communications/Government Affairs, TPC Group, Kaye DeWalt, Assistant Superintendent and General Counsel, Designee, Aldine ISD, Tyra Metoyer, Manager, External Mobilization, American Petroleum Institute, Anne Neeson, Executive Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, Memorial Her-
mann Foundation, Roxann Neumann, Senior VP- Corp. Affairs, Silver Eagle Distributors, and Robert Wimpelberg, Executive Director, All Kids Alliance / University of Houston. Continuing Trustees include Jagdip Ahluwalia, Executive Director, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Donald Bowers, Vice President, Houston Branch - Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Jo Ann Burbridge, President, Jones-Burbridge Consulting, Jo Carcedo, Vice President for Grants, Episcopal Health Foundation, Gina Carroll, Partner, Inspired Wordsmith, Eric Evans, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, HCA Gulf Coast Division, Gayle Fallon, Retired – President, Houston Federation of Teachers, Linda Flores Olson, President and CEO, Wesley Community Center, Jerome Gray, Vice President & Senior Press Officer, METRO, George Greanias, Managing Director, Berkeley Research Group, LLC, Jay Guerrero, Regional Director-SE Texas, Office of US Senator John Cornyn, John Hernandez, SVP, Diverse Markets Banking, Amegy Bank of Texas, Richard Jennings, Principal, JRJ Consulting, LLC, Kimberly John-
ston, VP Tax, CenterPoint Energy, David Kim, Executive Director, Urban Land Institute, Terry Morales, Senior Vice President, Amegy Bank, Sharon Murphy, Partner, McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP, Leisa HollandNelson, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Astoundz, Leslie Nelson, CFO, Society for the Performing Arts-Houston, Judson Robinson, President & CEO, Houston Area Urban League, Inc., Ravi Sandill, Judge 127th District Court, Harris County, Randy Sim, President, Satsun Corporation, Rhonda Smith, Deputy Director/ CFO, Houston Police Department, Michael Stewart, VP - Finance and Chief Administrative Officer, United Way of Greater Houston, Mustafa Tameez, Founder & Managing Director, Outreach Strategists, LLC, Hoang Vu, Partner, Corporate Finance, Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP and John Watson, Community Volunteer. In addition, Daniel W. Snare serves as President of the organization, and Dee Dee Dochen, President, DDD Marketing Communications, and Reagan Flowers, CEO, CSTEM Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc., serve as Representatives to the National ALF Board of
Directors. ALF brings leaders together through a yearlong Fellows Program in which they can engage in dialogue, explore differences, and build relationships. ALF strengthens Fellows’ capacity to address
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public issues collaboratively and builds a strong leadership network to work for positive change in our community. For more information, please visit www.alfhouston. org.
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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
16 December 15, 2017 COMMUNITY KP George & RK Sandill Running Election Campaigns BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA
HOUSTON: In the past month, two local
Indo-Americans have announced and indeed filed to run for positions in the upcoming elections in November 2018. K.P. George, who is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for Fort Bend County ISD announced that he will contest the Fort Bend County Judge position that has been held by Robert E. Herbert since
January 2003. George has gained a lot of experience in running campaigns as he had previously sought to run for US Congress in 2012 and ran twice for FBISD, winning the second time around. He hopes to channel his experience into a successful campaign for the County Judge and is currently holding fundraisers. Meanwhile, Judge R.K. Sandill who presides over the Texas District 127th court and was re-elected to a four-year term in 2016 filed his papers on November 28 for a run for the Texas Supreme Court. He is also holding fundraisers to meet his target of $150,000 by the end of December and is just $30,000 shy of it.
K.P. George from his campaign website
The Story of Ganesh
stands motionless and resolute with a trident in her hands while the worshippers dance around her to the captivating beat of a bhajan. This is the depiction of how ego destroys relationships, as
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 the emcee for the program, Ina Patel, described and added that “faith and duty with all its responsibilities are as good as God.” In the next scene, Parvati exhorts Shiva to “bring my son back to life,” and implores Vishnu (Samrat Sager) to intervene. Shiva asks Brahma (Nalin Bhuta) to bring back the head of the first creature he crosses with its head facing north and when he returns with the head of a strong elephant, Shiva attaches it to Ganesh’s body and breathes life into him. Aghast, when Parvati asks why he did so, Shiva assures her that her son, Ganesh (now played by the much older, rotund Girish Naik), will be the first deity that people will implore before undertaking any new venture or ceremony. The play, Ganesh Leela, delivered entirely in Hindi (for which the cast 26 rehearsed and memorized the lines) was presented at the Old Stafford Civic Center last Friday evening, December 8 to an anticipated large audience but sadly few attended as the weather – this time the day after it snowed - once again intervened. “The play was cancelled in September due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Anand Trivedi, Masterji’s nephew, at the irony as the show opened, “and now we are facing the first snow in eight years. Merry Christmas!” As Mukta Vijayvergiya sang and Daxina Mehta handed out the diyas, the
Judge Ravi Sandill filing his application for Texas Supreme Court Judge
major sponsors were called onstage to light the ceremonial lamps. This Hindi play on Hindu deities is the second one produced by Masterji’s Shree Madandham Center and Manoranjan Inc., after Har Har Mahadev was presented last year on the life of Shiva. It features many of the same cast of mostly seniors (who seem to completely relish flowing into their characters, like Vibhash Dhurandhar as Narad Muni and Jagruti Patel as the seductive Tulsi) and sponsors. Just as last year, the period costumes are lavish and brilliant, as was the set with twin peacock-tailed sofas and sequined long hanging drapes. The bug surprise of the program was the chief guest, none other than Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale of Gallery Furniture who has become an icon in his adopted hometown. Introduced by Trivedi and Swapnil Agarwal, McIngvale is as humble as he comes across on television, and spoke about his love for helping others, for which he has become legendary. “I learnt a lot from this play about duty, responsibility and faith and how it’s not if God can, but God will,” exclaimed McIngvale from the podium. “God brought us all together, forget about left and right politics. We need unity in community as we are meant to exist in groups.” And in parting, he couldn’t resist a plug for his business. “One last thing … if you need a new mattress, Gallery Furniture delivers tonight!” he said with a grin!
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
December 15, 2017
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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18 December 15, 2017
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Relearning about Fatehpur Sikri
Technology in Transit
BY RANA SAFVI
M
I am teaching these early teenage kids about audio tapes
and transistors and they have never seen one. They cannot believe we would find a song only by running through the earlier ones or use a pencil stub to tighten the loose whorls of tape and they have never held a leather bound ‘transy’ in their hands or seen a VHS recorder. Migoodness, when we invested in one such magical machine it held pride of place in our homes and no one was allowed to touch it (we could caress it) and the neighbors went green with envy. Record players with turntables and vinyl records are called retro and these children have never even seen a Walkman. I showed them one and they said it was so quaint. Just a few days ago a Walkman was the defining status symbol of our youth. Here they are with their slick razor thin i-whatevers and would they even know a beeper? How they would laugh if I could lay my hands on one and say this is how we informed someone we needed them. Beep beep. Comminggg. Told them we had to get up, there were no remotes. They fell over with mirth. Remember when the only computers were Spectrum and Commodore 64 and how exciting it was to have one. There was Trumpet Winsock but i cannot remember what it did. We had to go to ‘Start’ to stop the machine. Just yesterday I was using floppy disks and painstakingly marking them. Now you cannot even find a model that takes them. First we thought the PC was an advanced calculator period. Everyone said, who needs this? Then when we could write on it we thought it was a more convenient typewriter except we were not in the habit of saving stuff and out there in the ether are millions of lost words that can never be retrieved. The shift to computers was wracked with pain and nostalgia for the old ways. And how we resisted the shift because all those commands were baffling. We could lose to it in chess but how we yearned to fling it out of the window. Hardware is the part you want to kick even as you reboot. Unless you are too busy debugging. When pictures began appearing on the screen we played Pac-Man and Tetris and Mario hunting a princess. Now, it rules our lives and then some. It drives you crazy surfing a net with slow connectivity. It drives you crazier with forgotten passwords. And it leaves you batty and battered by hosting a virus. User friendly it isn’t. But I still cannot recall what Trumpet Winsock did. -Bikram Vohra in Times of India
y first visit to Fatehpur Sikri was as a teenager and the beauty and haunting loneliness of the majestic red buildings made me fall in love with them. That love affair continues — I visit Fatehpur Sikri as often as I can. On my first visit, being ignorant of Mughal architecture, I followed the imaginative guides around as they showed us Jodha Bai and Birbal’s palace. On subsequent visits though, I came to know that no wife of Akbar was called Jodha. I was content to just soak in the grandeur of the palace. On my last visit, however, I went armed with Fathpur Sikri Revisited, a book by Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, and realised just how many myths are created and retold in that imperial city. There were other buildings in that area prior to Akbar’s construction of a royal city named Fatehpur Sikri on the Vindhya hills. The book informed me that the name Sikri came from the Sikarwar Rajputs who controlled it briefly at the end of the 12th century. The Mughal association with it began with the Battle of Khanwa between Babur and Rana Sanga in 1527. After his victory, Babur constructed a garden there, which he named Bagh-e-Fath (victory garden). The village was renamed Shukri (place of thanksgiving). Babur’s grandson Akbar ordered the construction of a royal city, which then served as the capital of the Mughal empire from 1571, on an isolated elevated, rocky ridge. Thus was built a majestic imperial city. We left our vehicles at the car park and walked up the short distance via the Agra Gate through the ruins of the Chauhar Suq with a triple-arched gateway. We entered the royal complex via the Diwan-e-Aam where Akbar held public court. It’s a large complex with galleries on four sides with an imperial box in one gallery, meant for the emperor. When we came out of this, we passed by what is named the Hakim’s quarters, which, Rezavi writes, was too close to the emperor’s chambers and too grand to be anything else except the quarters
On my last visit, I went armed with Fathpur Sikri Revisited, a book by SyedAli Nadeem Rezavi, and realized just how many myths are created and retold in that imperial city. of Prince Salim. Salim, Akbar’s first son, was the result of a blessing by Sheikh Salim Chisthi whose shrine is also in this same complex. In fact, Salim was born in one of the mahals near the shrine, as Akbar had sent Salim’s mother there for confinement and delivery. We went to a building with beautiful red sandstone columns with delicate carvings running on three sides to form porticos around a small hall. The Archaeological Survey of India identifies this as Daftar Khana (record room), but Rezavi gives references from various contemporary sources such as Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh (Badayuni), Akbarnama (Abul Fazl) and Tabaqat-i-Akbari (Nizamuddin Ahmed) to prove that this is the Ibadat Khana (house of worship) where Akbar met with scholars and priests of every religion. The descriptions of the building with aiwans (porticos) given by these chroniclers, along with location, seem to indicate that this was where Akbar held philosophical debates on religion. Rezavi also says that the palace known as Maryam’s house was actually a royal dining hall. Given that the kitchens were nearby and it was cordoned off from the female quarters and lay outside the Haram Sara, this sounds feasible. The Shabistan-i-Iqbal (seraglio), which is commonly known as Jodha Bai’s palace, has exquisite carvings,
columns with beautiful mouldings, and brackets. Only the emperor’s seven or eight main wives lived there. The rest lived in the minor Haram Sara, with the emperor accessing the area via covered passages from his chambers. The king’s own quarters in the imperial palace were divided into private and public areas: Daulat Khana-e-Khas and Daulat Khanae-Aam. The courtyard of this private area has some of the most stunning buildings, including the Anup Talao or peerless pool, and the rectangular, colonnaded, five-level Panch Mahal. The most carved and decorated room in the courtyard which is known as the Turkish Sultana’s room is actually the Hujra-i-Anup Talao, another room used for receiving guests by Akbar. Since I had learnt so much by then, the fact that the free-standing square Chahar Khana (known as Diwan-eKhas) in this courtyard was actually just symbolic and meant to emphasise Akbar as a universal ruler sitting in the round column head didn’t surprise me. I like the idea of Akbar “presiding like a god like Vishnu (seated on a lotus seat) or like the sun, domineering over all regions.” Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned by Akbar in 1585 and later used by the British as an army outpost. Rana Safvi is a writer, historian, and chronicler of Delhi and other stories that stones tell. -- The Hindu
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CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR INDIA: ASEEM KULKARNI ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-6397 email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www.indoamerican-news.com
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
COMMUNITY
December 15, 2017
Avoiding Brain Drain During the Holidays
HOUSTON: While it’s easy to be
envious of students who are off of school for an extended break during the holidays, these few weeks should not be a complete escape from learning. For younger children who are still adjusting to the school schedule, taking a few weeks off of school and lessons can set students back in their education. Even for those who have mastered many learning skills, this extended vacation often makes it harder to get back into the learning regimen once school reopens for the remainder of the year. Best in Class Education Center provided some fun and family-friendly suggestions of what students can do during their extended break over the winter holiday to keep their minds active and ensure they don’t fall behind once school is back in session. Best in Class Education Center helps K-12 students succeed academically through customized educational programs. The brand is always thinking of ways for students and parents to find new learning opportunities. Gift Wish-List Activities: • Depending on your child’s age, there are a few different activities that can be enjoyed while building a holiday gift list. For those who are old enough and don’t believe in Santa Claus, lay out a budget of how much they are allowed to spend on gifts. Let them research different gift options that they want and use math to choose what would fit in the budget. For those who still believe in Santa Clause, remove the budget and let
them research different gift options and handwrite a gift list to practice their handwriting and spelling. • Once all gifts are opened, have your children handwrite their Thank You Letters for the gifts they receive as another opportunity to practice writing and spelling Gift Giving Ideas • While it might not be at the top of their lists, consider giving your children gifts that incorporate learning. Some ideas are new books, workbooks, chess sets, puzzles, or science experiments! Enjoying the Arts • The holidays are a time when there is no shortage of events. Look for plays, musicals, or concerts to attend with your children. Talk about the event after attending, and ask older students to articulate their opinions. Road Trips Activities • It’s common to take long road trips over the holiday break to visit family or take a vacation. To make these car trips not seem as long, prepare a few
• To help your student exceed his or her academics goals, a local resource, Best in Class Education Center, offers a variety of customized, supplemental enrichment courses and tutoring options to ensure your student is equipped with the tools they need this school year. Best in Class Education is targeting the addition of 20 more units in 2017. The state of Texas has been identified as a key state for growth. The current
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games for the drive. A few examples are: • The Alphabet Game - look at license plates or signs for each letter in the alphabet. The first person to go through the entire alphabet wins. • The Animal Game - one person names an animal, and the next person has to say an animal that starts with the last letter of the first animal’s name. • The License Plate Game - try to find a license plate from every state. • If you are still trying to come up with a vacation destination, try incorporating a current lesson into the destination. For example, if your student is learning about the Revolutionary War, plan a trip to Boston to see the location of the Boston Tea Party. Holiday Reading • There is no shortage of holiday books that students enjoy. Create a log for the number of books your children read over the break, and provide a gift after they complete a specific number of books.
Namadwaar’s Annual Madhura Utsav
MANVEL: Global Organization
for Divinity and Houston Namadwaar will conduct their annual grand celebration of bhakti and Bhagavata Dharma, from December 23 to 31 this year through a 7-day “Madhura Utsav” (sweet celebration). A ‘Madhurageetham’devotional music competition will also be held on Dec 24, for music enthusiasts of all ages. Both the events will be held at Houston Namadwaar, 3642 Bailey Avenue, Manvel TX 77578. The devotional music competition is open to singers of all ages and levels. A suggested list of audio recordings and lyrics is shared on the registration page. Children aged 8 and under can sing any one small bhajan or namavali. 9 to 12-year-olds have to sing any one song composed by Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. Singers 13 years and older also should sing one song composed by Sri Swamiji, and they can also optionally include a relevant viruttam (sloka). Participants can sign up at http://www.tinyurl.com/ madhurageetham2017 The week-long Madhura Utsav will be filled with celebration of Bhagavan through song, dance and listening to His stories. The highlight of the Utsav will be daily evening 6:45 PM discourse in English by Sri Poornimaji, disciple of His Holiness Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. on the rare, beautiful sub-
ject of “Uddhava Gita” from Srimad Bhagavatam – the beautiful message given by Lord Sri Krishna to Uddhava, right before His departure from this world. Sri Poornimaji will speak from Dec 25 to 31. On Dec 23 and 24, Sri Ramaswamyji, another disciple of Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji will speak on Bhagavata Mahatmyam and a summary of the first 9 cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam. Daily events through the day (at Namadwaar) include chanting Tiruppavai (6 am), reading of chapters from Srimad Bhagavatam depicting Sri Krishna Leela with a chapter-wise explanation by Sri Ramaswamyji (8-10 am). Procession of Sri KrishnaSri Radha in different vahanas (11 am) on most days, Ashtapadi kirtan-Sampradaya bhajans with Sri Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam (2 pm), Hari Kathas and bhajans by children (5-7 pm). On some days, Divya Nama Sankirtanam (as performed
by bhagavathars in India) will be performed at 9:30pm. A highlight of the Utsav will be a grand Radha Kalyanam (RadhaMadhav Vivah) and Mass Prayer on Saturday Dec 30 evening, 4 pm. That entire day will also be a special children’s day where children/ youth will get to carry the Lord in procession, play lots of games and finally also perform their own Radha Kalyanam. The event will be conducted under the guidance of Sri Poornimaji. Poornimaji leads a life of Bhagavata Dharma under the guidance of her Guru. She has studied Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures directly from him, and has thus been able to absorb their essence through his enlightening words and experiences. And when presented by her in her own powerful discoursing style, we are all sure to be inspired immensely in our own path of devotion to Bhagavan. Her talks are so deep and encompassing that they sate the appetite of those craving intellectual food, those who want to savor the bhakti rasa, as well as those who just want comfort food for the soul - practical life learnings. Everyone is welcome to participate in this unique celebration. All events are free and open to the public. Breakfast, lunch and dinner mahaprasad will be served on all the days.
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yas, all the way from the Northwest Frontier with Afghanistan down to the plains of the Punjab and across northern part of Uttar Pradesh, during the cold months, people seek out foods that not only keep them warm, but satisfy the taste buds. The bazaars and markets are full of sweets and confections, but in the Punjab, moong di daal da halwa (yellow moong lentil pudding) is an affordable dessert, eaten sometimes, that is found everywhere since it is high in calories and is keeps the body warm. It was a cold December in 1945 when I was married in Lyallpur, West Punjab when I was just 18 years-old, and our family halwai (sweet maker) Lal Chand made what was then a new item – moong di daal da halwa – instead of the customary suji halwa (semolina pudding). There was lots left over, so he kept it and made pinnis (sweet balls) out of it and the family ate them through the rest of the winter! Nowadays, moong di daal da halwa is severed at auspicious occasions like Holi and Diwali and is considered chic to serve at weddings. The halwa is usually made with split, dhuli peeli moong daal (skinless yellow moong lentils), and it takes a lot of patience to sauté and prepare the daal. There are three ways to make it: the original way, the faster way and the short cut, all dealing with the preparation. In the original way, you must soak the daal for four or five hours, then place it in a grinder to make a coarse paste and then sauté it in ghee (clarified butter). The faster way is to boil the daal in just the right amount of water to let it become tender; drain the water through a sieve, sauté and then add the same water back. I have already given the recipe for these two ways.
This recipe is for the shortcut method which is to use moong daal flour which is easily available now and prepare like suji halwa by sautéing. The taste is not the same as the other two methods and I think the boiling method is the best. Ingredients: • 1 cup dhuli moong daal atta (split, skinless yellow daal flour) • 3 cups tanda pani (cold water) • 1 cup tael (olive oil; some may prefer ghee or clarified butter) • 1 cup chinni (sugar) • 1 tsp pissi illachi (cardamom powder) • Mewa (dried fruits) to taste: dhule badam (blanched sliced almonds), piste (pistachios), kishmish (raisins), kharod (walnuts) Directions: 1. Place the sugar in 3 cups of cold water in a small saucepan, let it come to a boil and then set aside. If you
prefer a sweeter dish, then add ¼ cup more sugar. 2. Warm the oil in a medium sized kadai (wok) over medium heat, pour in the moong atta and stir till it becomes slightly brown. 3. Drop in the dried fruits and stir in for a few minutes. 4. When you see traces of oil come to the sides of the kadai, then add the chasni (syrup water) and stir continuously till the water begins to dry up. The halwa should not be runny, it is better served thick. It will also thicken when it cools down. 5. Turn the heat to low and when you see oil rise to the sides, then turn off the heat. 6. Sprinkle the cardamom on the top of the halwa before serving slightly warm. Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the oldfashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her late-eighties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi vegetarian recipes for future generations.
MAMA’S TIP O F THE
WEEK HOW TO STORE ATTA (WHEAT F LOUR) DOUGH IN THE F R ID G E Judging from th
e nu (wheat flour) that is mber of brands and the amount of ba sold in Indian groc ery stores, it would gs of atta that there are still m be safe to say any people making fre to go with every m eal. Even though th sh rotis (bread) in the house ere is also a growin people who prefer g nu to from brands like D buy frozen rotis and paranthas (stuf mber of eep, Ashoka and H aldiram, there are m fed breads) make their own brea any more who d at home. For those people, m ak ing the dough is of many of them mak ten the hardest part em and so meal or day, usually ore than they need and store the rest for the next in a container or a bowl. But these so out in the fridge an meti d th best to place the atta e top surface becomes crusty. To avoi mes dry d this, it is in an airtight contain dab of vegetable oi er and coat the top l to prevent the top with a little from drying out.
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INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
Fukrey Returns: This Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma Starrer is Relentlessly Juvenile
Fukrey, a 2013 film about a
bunch of feckless Dilli fellows who fall afoul of a foul-mouthed female don, and some random layabouts, was an unexpected success. To want to run off a sequel is understandable. What doesn’t make sense is to make this return such a slog. The actors are (more or less) the same. But the situations are so tired and contrived, and so relentlessly juvenile that there’s nothing that even such capable hands as Richa Chadha and Pankaj Tripathi can do, to retain our interest. In the original, there was at least an attempt at creating a somewhat realistic Dilli ‘clony’, with its grinning local louts, and lover-boys making eyes at neighbourhood heartthrobs across cramped balconies, ‘nonk-jhonk’ happening on terraces, and guys going by
the name of Choocha (Sharma) and Hunny, not, please note, Honey(Samrat), Lalli (Singh) and Zafar (Fazal), who speak the street lingo with conviction, and who try pulling off small cons while waiting for something better. And a lovely, lilting song, which was so much better than the movie: I don’t think you can hear “Ambarsariya” without wanting to join in. The other thing that kept the Fukrey boys from sinking was that they were endearing despite being all too familiar. There was an innocence about them even when they were being annoying. We liked them, and wished them well, especially when they fell into the clutches of the fearsome Bholi
rat i V a & aly m r a t h I S n a i k h ed s i private r u r n a A affair. M et Anushka writes, “Today G i l h we have promised each other to be o K bound in love forever. We are truly A
fter a long speculation of will they-won’t they, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli have finally tied the knot in Italy on December 11. Giving all rumours a rest, Virat and Anushka have officially announced the news on Twitter with the most adorable photo and caption ever. In an official statement, it has been revealed that the wedding was attended by close family and a few friends as they wished their wedding to be a very
blessed to share the news with you. This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans & well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey.” On the other hand, Virat also shared the same note with a different picture from the auspicious ‘jaimaal’ ceremony. While Virat looks dapper as always in his ivory sherwani, Anushka is the most beautiful bride ever in her pastel coloured lehenga designed by
around, Bholi has a lot more screen time. This gives Chadda loads of opportunities to slink around wearing leopard skin leotards and deep pink
hoodies. Our four fellows are up against Bholi again, but this time she has troubles of her own in the shape of a greedy neta (Gupta), who, like a good Dilliwala, has his eyes on land and cash. If not madly original, this sequel could have been some amount of fun, and you can see it in tiny bits when Chaddha and Tripathi are vamping it up. But it starts to pall right from the start.And the crassness begins to get tiresome: bare butts are bitten by snakes, a guy peeing is both seen and heard, and everyone roams around, for some inexplicable reason, in the Delhi zoo, without a clue as to what to they are doing, patting tiger cubs (yes, that’s right), and listening to the big cats snarl. If they could, the tigers should have sued. -indianexpress.com
Sabyasachi. Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you. This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans & well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey. — Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) December 11, 2017 Today we have promised each other to be bound in love for ever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you.This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans & well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey. — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 11, 2017
The couple will be hosting a reception in New Delhi for their relatives on December 21 which will be followed by a reception for industry friends and cricketers in Mumbai on 26th December. Their spokesperson said, “We are extremely grateful to the media for their support and understanding in making this special occasion a memorable one and thank them for their continued love and support.” Post their wedding the newly wed couple will be shifting to their new residence in Worli, Mumbai in December once they return from Delhi. A statement from Yash Raj Films read: We are very happy to announce that Ms. Anushka Sharma and Mr. Virat Kohli got married at a private ceremony in Italy, today. The wedding was attended by close family and a few friends as they wished their wedding to be a very private affair. The wedding was performed as per Hindu rituals. Top fashion designer Sabyasachi
Punjaban (Chaddha), who had a motor-mouth full of abuse, and schemes to rip off the ‘aam aadmi.’ This time
Happy Birthday
December 15, 2017
ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS ENTERTAINMENT:REVIEWS/NEWS
21
Riteish Deshmukh December 17, 1978
John Abraham December 17, 1972
Sohail Khan
December 20, 1969
Govinda
December 21, 1963
Mukherjee has designed the wedding ensemble for both the bride and the groom. Virat and Anushka will now start inviting all industry friends and colleagues for the celebrations that are set to happen in Mumbai. Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli said in a joint statement, “Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share this wonderful news with you. This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans and well wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey.” The couple will be hosting a reception in New Delhi for their relatives on 21st December which will be followed by a reception for industry friends and cricketers in Mumbai on 26th December. -indianexpress.com
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
22 December 15, 2017 2nd ODI: Rohit Sharma’s Double-ton Levels Series BY KARTHIK KRISHNASWAMY
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OHALI: (ESPN Cricinfo): India 392 for 4 (Rohit 208*, Iyer 88, Dhawan 68) beat Sri Lanka 251 for 8 (Mathews 111*, Gunaratne 34, Chahal 3-60) by 141 runs Rohit Sharma’s template in ODIs isn’t complicated: watchful in the first 10 overs, accumulation in the next 30 overs, and a belligerent assault in the last 10. Sri Lanka knew all about it, having conceded 264 to him in Kolkata three years ago, but he reminded them again in terrific batting conditions in Mohali. He razed his way to his third double-century in ODIs to launch India to 392 for 4, helping India level the series with a 141-run drubbing. Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer gave Rohit able company with rapid half-centuries, as India posted their 100th 300-plus total in ODIs. Angelo Mathews led Sri Lanka’s losing battle with a fighting hundred, his second in ODIs, but just like AB de Villiers’ 114 against India in Gwalior in 2010, it didn’t take much away from a stunning double-hundred. Given Mohali’s large boundaries, Sri Lanka’s response was to take pace off the ball and try bowling short. It didn’t work. Sri Lanka’s end-overs specialists Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep then tried firing in wide yorkers. It didn’t work. Straight yorkers? Nope. Low full-tosses resulted in sixes over midwicket and square leg. As the level of intimidation went up, Sri Lanka grew increasingly helpless. So frenetic was the pace of the final third of Rohit’s innings that he scored more than half of his unbeaten 208 in the last 10 overs. He had nudged his way to his 16th ODI century by the end of the 40th, and then went on to thump 107 more off his final 37 balls. He scored 144, close to 70% of his runs, square on either side of the wicket. India scored 147 in the last 10 overs. Nuwan Pradeep came close to Mick Lewis’ record of most runs conceded in an ODI, but finished seven runs short, ending at 10-0-106-0. Confidence is arguably the most influential factor in sport. Any team is bound to be tentative after slumping
Rohit Sharma swings down the ground, India v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Mohali, December 13, 2017
to 29 for 7 in their previous game. So when India were put in to bat in hazy conditions, Rohit and Dhawan put away their attacking instincts, allowing Sri Lanka’s in-form seamers to win the first Powerplay: they scored just 33 in the first 10 overs. Apart from their ability to steal singles with soft hands in the Powerplay, Rohit and Dhawan are also proficient because they prefer different lengths. Dhawan sits back and waits for bowl-
ers to err on the short side, and Rohit favours the fuller length when they compensate. For 10 overs, Sri Lanka found the perfect length in-between. As fatigue crept in and new bowlers took time to settle, they erred too often. India’s run-rate rose from a little over three to above five in a few overs thereafter. Dhawan was particularly productive square on either side of the wicket, hitting nine fours before shovelling a flick to midwicket off
Sachith Pathirana. After cruising to fifty, Rohit chose only the errant deliveries to attack. But India’s run-rate remained lofty due to Iyer’s belligerence. After moving quietly to 11 off 15, he chipped down the track off Pathirana and hit him over mid-on despite not getting to the pitch of the ball. Sri Lanka changed their length, and Iyer pounced on width.
The Ashes: England Hopes on the Line at WACA PERTH: Big picture? You want the after this match the WACA will be the urn is on the line. England must at exactly that: Ashes history. A new least salvage a draw to have any hope big picture? Well, here’s a picture so big it makes Rembrandt’s The Night Watch look like a postage stamp. After 135 years of Ashes campaigns, the series tally is currently locked at 32-32. England dominated in the 19th century, but to be fair Australia wasn’t even a country at that point. Once the 20th century and Australian federation arrived, the ledger evened up. Eventually. But it did happen in the 20th century. By 1997, Australia had finally caught up with England and the series tally was 27-27. One of sport’s oldest trophies had at length become one of the most closely contested. And over the next five days in Perth, Australia have the chance to make it 33-32. And speaking of Ashes history,
multi-sport stadium has been built in Perth and will be opened with an ODI next month, and in future the WACA’s only hope of international matches will be when lesser-drawing nations tour Australia. England probably won’t complain. While the WACA has been one of Australia’s worst home venues in recent years they have won only four of their past nine Tests there - it has never been a good ground for England. In 13 Ashes Tests at the WACA, England have managed only one win - in 1978 during the World Series Cricket schism. It is possible that both teams will be happy to move across the Swan River to the new stadium. But for now, the WACA it is, and
of retaining the Ashes. Only once in Ashes history has a team come back from 2-0 down to win a series, and that required Australia’s captain Don Bradman to pile up scores of 270, 212 and 169 in the remaining three Tests in 1936-37. Who will be England’s Bradman? No England player has scored a century yet in this series. Bradman also did not have to deal with the scrutiny caused by off-field issues, the likes of which have plagued England’s campaign. Only one thing is certain: if Joe Root wins the toss, he won’t send Australia in. For Steven Smith, this Test is a chance to complete a remarkable cycle.
SPORTS
World Hockey Ranks for India: Men 6, Women 10
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AUSANNE: India’s men and women’s hockey teams remained in the sixth and 10th positions respectively in the rankings revealed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday. The men’s team was at the sixth spot at the beginning of the year and maintained it throughout the year. Though India (1566 points) won the bronze medal at the season-ending Hockey World League (HWL) Final on Sunday, they were not able to topple fifth-placed Germany (1680). The women’s team started the year at the 12th spot but slowly they jumped two spots. Their Asia Cup win last month helped them gain two spots, leapfrogging over Spain and Japan. At the top of men’s hockey, Australia knocked out Argentina for the first time since the Rio 2016 Olympics. Number one in the world is a familiar place for the Australians who, until the Olympics in Rio, had held top spot since January 2014. The HWL Final title helped Australia topple the SouthAmerican champions and 2016 Olympic gold medallists. Belgium, Netherlands and Germany remain unchanged at third, fourth and fifth respectively. The other movers in the men’s world rankings are Spain who have moved up one spot to eighth in the world, overtaking New Zealand in the process. In the women’s competition, the Netherlands retained their position at the top after they claimed the Sentinel Homes HWL Final title late last month. England and Argentina remain in second and third place respectively following their involvement in the Auckland competition. New Zealand’s silver medal at this event combined with Australia’s failure to qualify for the HWL Final and therefore earn points, meant that the Black Sticks overtook their Oceania neighbours into fourth place.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
December 15, 2017
Industrial Output Growth Slows to Three-Month Low of 2.2 %
NEW DELHI: Industrial produc-
tion growth hit a three-month low of 2.2 per cent in October this year, mainly due to subdued performance of manufacturing and mining sectors coupled with a contraction in output of consumer durables. The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had witnessed a rise of 4.2 per cent in October 2016, data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed Tuesday. When compared on a monthly basis, the IIP grew 4.14 per cent in September this year. Industrial output rose by a meagre 2.5 per cent in April-October this fiscal as compared to 5.5 per cent in the same period of 2016-17. In October, growth in the manufacturing sector, which accounts for 77.63 per cent of the index, slowed to 2.5 per cent from 4.8 per cent a year earlier. During April-October, manufacturing grew by 2.1 per cent, down from 5.9 per cent in the same period
last fiscal. Consumer durable goods output contracted by 6.9 per cent in October as against a growth of 1.5 per cent in the same month of the previous year. During the first seven months of this fiscal, the output of these goods declined by 1.9 per cent as against a growth of 6 per cent last year. Electricity generation rose 3.2 per cent in October as compared to 3 per cent a year before. The mining activity recorded almost flat growth of 0.2 per cent in the month under review as against 1 per cent growth in October 2016. According to use-based classification, the growth rates in October 2017 over the year-ago month are 2.5 per cent in primary goods, 6.8 per cent in capital goods, 0.2 per cent in intermediate goods and 5.2 per cent in infrastructure/construction goods. The consumer non-durables have recorded a growth of 7.7 per cent. In terms of industries, 10 out of 23
industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown positive growth during October 2017 as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year. The industry group ‘Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical
products’ has shown the highest positive growth of 23 per cent followed by 12.8 per cent in ‘Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers’ and 9.7 per cent in ‘Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products’. -- Indian Express
Singapore Top Destination for Chinese investment, India 37th NEW DELHI: India has slipped with China”, it said. “Despite challenges for Chinese
six notches to 37th position among 60 major economies in the world in terms of their attractiveness to Chinese firms, while Singapore topped the list compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. According to the latest EIU’s China Going Global Investment Index, Singapore overtook the US as the most attractive destination for Chinese overseas direct investment. Hong Kong, Malaysia and Australia rounded the top five. Among BRIC economies, Russia’s index rank moved up by six places to 11th, with its economic prospects having improved owing to higher commodity prices, while South Africa’s rank has risen by six places to 44th. However, Brazil dropped by 19 places to 53rd place and India is down by six positions to 37th amid “tenser political relations
investors in India, the country’s growth prospects are the brightest across major economies and several Chinese companies, such as Huawei (a telecommunications firm) and Xiaomi (a consumer electronics company), have built successful businesses there,” the EIU report said. E-commerce could be a particular strength for Chinese firms in the global consumer sector in future, the report said and added that Alibaba, is amplifying its e-commerce footprint in South-east Asia and India through investments in Lazada and Paytm, respectively. Although developed economies still dominate the upper ranks of the index, emerging markets have improved their positions and notable climbers include Malaysia (4th) and Kazakhstan (13th). Several developed economies
Indian IT Workers Seek Comfort in Online Chat
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Industrial output rose by a meagre 2.5 per cent in April-October this fiscal as compared to 5.5 per cent in the same period of 2016-17.
have tumbled down the index: the UK slipped the most, by 29 places to 41st, owing to the worsened outlook for economic growth following its decision to leave the EU. Countries that rank consistently highly across the six industry indices include the US, Japan, India and Iran. “While the US and Japan owe their positions mainly to the opportunities they offer Chinese firms to obtain
technology and brands through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), India and Iran are fast-growing markets in which companies from China are likely to be competitive,” the report noted. The index ranks 60 major economies in terms of their attractiveness to Chinese firms, drawing on 57 indicators spread across opportunity and risk pillars. -- Times of India
23
ENGALURU: For months Lovkesh Joshi was quietly terrified of losing his job as a manager at a top Indian tech services company. Clients were cutting their budgets, prompting his bosses to fire dozens of colleagues. His manager told him not to worry, but it was hard not to when experts were predicting that millions of the country’s IT workers would be eliminated in the coming years. “My head was full of ‘yaar, kya honewalla hai?,’” says Joshi, using a Hindi expression that means “what’s going to happen?” Joshi didn’t want to burden his wife or friends so he turned to a chatbot therapist called Wysa. Powered by artificial intelligence, the app promises to be “loyal, supportive and very private,” and encourages users to divulge their feelings about a recent major event or big change in their lives. “I could open up and talk,” says the 41-year-old father of two school-age children, who says his conversations with the bot flowed naturally. The upheaval in India’s $154 billion tech outsourcing industry has prompted thousands of Indians to seek solace in online therapy services. People accustomed to holding down prestigious jobs and pulling in handsome salaries are losing out to automation, a shift away from long-term legacy contracts and curbs on US work visas. McKinsey & Co. says almost half of the four million people working in India’s IT services industry will become “irrelevant” in the next three to four years. Indians, like people the world over, tend to hide their mental anguish for fear of being stigmatized. That’s why many are embracing the convenience, anonymity and affordability of online counselling start-ups.
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
24 December 15, 2017
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December 15, 2017
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Wrap-3
December 15, 2017
INDO-AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM